As the Health Blog winds down on this post-election day, one of the health-related ballot measures we’ve been keeping an eye on is still up for grabs.

Arizona’s Proposition 101, which would block the state from requiring everyone to get health insurance, is virtually tied: 865,286 vote for and 867,425 vote against, with 99.1% of polls reporting, according to the Secretary of State.

The measure was backed by a doctor and some-time radio show host. It’s particularly relevant in Arizona because the Democratic minority leader in the state’s House of Representatives backs a universal health-care bill.

And the conservative columnist George Will suggested that, if the bill passes, it could serve as the basis for a legal challenge to a national health insurance mandate — worth noting, given that Barack Obama favors requiring all children to have health insurance.

Comments (5 of 9)

george will is woefully uninformed about health care financing, not worth listening to

11:30 pm November 6, 2008

Keith wrote :

Yeah, and what about the right of people to go to the local Hospital's ER and get free care? We don't want to interfere with that do we? Those of us that pay taxes and health insurance premiums don't mind picking up their tab rather than requiring them to get coverage do we?

1:33 pm November 6, 2008

Tony wrote :

Shocking! Stuff like that would never happen in the U.S.

1:14 pm November 6, 2008

Nancy wrote :

P.S. And that was after waiting for 2.5 hours.

1:12 pm November 6, 2008

Nancy wrote :

I have used (once) the UK national health service and it was a terrible experience. I am not even certain the person who met with me (for 2 min) was an M.D.